Mentoring Done Right

This story in Education Week talks about good mentoring and professional development that has helped a California school district not only retain new teachers, but the results are being seen in the students' test scores as well.

As Gov. Christine Gregoire earmarks $45 million in her budget for professional development for teachers, and tells lawmakers this is a go-home issue for her, it will be interesting to see how this money is spent.

Uri Treisman of the Dana Center told us this week that some programs really make an impact on the teachers and a district, and other programs seem to be flushing money down a rat hole. In other words, it helps one individual teacher, but there are no ripple effects within a building or within a district. I'd be interested in hearing about PD, as it's known in educational circles, and what's worked and what hasn't for teachers.

Photo Information: Erik G. Brown, a 7th grade math and science teacher, talks to his students at the Cesar Chavez Academy in the Ravenswood school district in East Palo Alto, Calif.